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911 Accidental Shooting
Location: Lubbock, Texas Date: September 8, 1994 Story On September 8, 1994 in Lubbock, Texas, Melissa Pool and her daughter, Jessica, went to pick up her husband, Danny, from work leaving her sons, eleven-year-old Steven and eight-year-old Andrew, at home trusting they would be safe for the short time she was gone. "I told the boys to remember the rules: stay here and watch TV, go play Nintendo in the bedroom. Make sure you don't answer the phone or the door and I'll be back in 20 minutes," remembers Melissa. Steven and Andrew were bored and went into the bedroom to play with their dad's camera but then realized that he had a shotgun. "There were shotgun shells and I said, 'Wow, it's neat,'" said Steven. Andrew told him not to play with it but he loaded it and accidentally shot Andrew in the arm. Steven called 911 and was very hysterical. He then hung up the phone and ran across the street to get his best friend, Cody Cameron, for help. Lubbock EMS dispatcher Jenny Finley called him back and told him not to hang up the phone. "It still sticks with me to hear, 'Oh my God! I swear I didn't mean it,'" said Jenny. Steven was very hysterical and kept saying that Andrew would die. "I never thought a gun could do that much damage," said Steven. "My biggest worry was not being able to hear the little boy that had gotten shot. I could hear him screaming. In my mind I first thought that he could be dead," said Jenny. "I ran to get a towel but I couldn't open the door," said Cody. Steven gave the phone to him and ran to get a towel to treat Andrew's wounds. The first help got to the scene within four minutes, including paramedic Chris Teague. "When I heard that it was a shooting, it was a devastating disturbance," said Chris. Once the ambulance got to the house Jenny let Cody hang up. Andrew had a gunshot wound to his chest and shoulder and had lost a lot of blood. Chris knew that only surgery would save him. "I was scared and sad. My heart was beating fast. When the ambulance pulled away I thought I might never see my brother again," said Steven. "I have children of my own. When a child is laying there all you can think about is your children at home and how these parents are going to feel when they find out that their child may be dead," said Chris. Andrew was taken to University Medical Center and put under the care of pediatric surgeon Jane Goldthorn. "He was having difficulty breathing. We were very concerned that he was going to lose his air weight and possibly die within a matter of a few seconds," said Dr. Goldthorn. They realized that the chest wound was literally ripped opened by the bullets and told his parents that he might not make it. "I was scared he was going to die. I was scared to lose one of my babies," said Melissa. When Melissa, Danny, and Steven were allowed to see Andrew in ICU he had tubes all over him. They stood by his bedside and talked to him but he didn't answer. "I told him that I loved him and he was going to be all right," said Steven. One month has passed since the incident. Andrew continues to heal and is expected to fully recover. "It just amazing how you can bounce back," said Danny. "I still forgive Steven because I know it was an accident," said Andrew. Steven thinks that it's important that children don't play with guns and so Melissa decided to get rid of Danny's. "They will never be in this house again," said Melissa."When I look at Andrew today I see him feel great. I'm glad he's home. But he's still a pain in the butt," said Steven. Category:1994 Category:Texas Category:Shootings Category:Gunshot Wounds Category:Kid Heroes Category:Bleeding